Chapter Summaries

A man transformed into the newly born god Bit, whose domain was Information and Data, in the Warhammer 40K Warp. Unable to return to Earth and wary of the dangers around him, he recognized that he needed more information to grow stronger.

• The God of Information awakened in the Warp amid excruciating pain and discovered that his body was made of data and conceptual symbols.
• Memories revealed that he had died and become a deity whose domain was Information and Data.
• He accessed Earth’s internet and realized his power connected him to its information, but Earth’s infosphere was too small to sustain his divine body, so he could not return.
• The God of Information assessed his weakness and concluded that gathering information and data would help him grow stronger.
• He chose the name Bit, inspired by his origins on Earth.

Bit found an ownerless Warp rift leading to Pedetia, a war-torn death world where human forces were close to defeat. He decided to remain and absorb the planet’s dynamic information, then considered bringing souls from Earth to create reinforcements for humanity.

• Bit cautiously scanned a Warp rift and confirmed it led to a planet in the material universe.
• Bit surveyed Pedetia and discovered humans, Orks, Dark Eldar, Chaos Cultists, and Genestealers gathered there for a grand celebration.
• Bit chose to stay on Pedetia and absorb the dynamic information produced by its inhabitants, especially through war.
• Bit concluded that humanity was the best source of high-quality information and that its survival required a way to create more soldiers.
• Bit considered using his connection to Earth to bring souls across and fill the bodies he could create.

Bit connected to Earth, released a Warhammer 40K promotional trailer, and built a virtual-reality game system designed to help Players survive its brutal battlefield. Gaming creator Robert watched the trailer and was stunned by its realism, while authorities struggled to explain how it had appeared across every platform.

• Bit discovered that Earth had advanced to widespread immersive virtual reality and released his Warhammer 40K trailer across public online platforms.
• Bit designed Player assistance features, including status displays, enemy markers, simplified controls, and accelerated thought processing, then randomly selected body templates from Pedetia's gene pool.
• Robert woke to messages from fans urging him to watch the Warhammer 40K trailer and viewed it through his augmented reality glasses.
• Robert watched the trailer depict a soldier being cut apart by a laser and witnessed graphic battlefield violence involving Orks, Dark Eldar, and Genestealers.
• Robert recognized the trailer's unprecedented realism and expected the game to attract many Players, while information security departments around the world investigated its sudden appearance.

Bit selected ten people for his game, and gaming UP master Robert and the other players appeared in a polluted bunker as Imperial recruits. Commissar Walter Fuller took them toward the front, where the chatty players tested his patience while Bit watched unseen.

• Bit chose ten players from the registration data, including Robert, who entered the game as [Dr. Ruan].
• Robert and the other recruits struggled to breathe in the bunker, where they met an Ogryn player named [Imperium Big Eagle Cop Investigating Chaos Tax Evasion].
• Commissar Walter Fuller arrived, ordered the recruits to follow him, and led them into a Chimera troop transport.
• Walter told the recruits they were heading to the front and answered their questions about the broken chain of command and the dangers ahead.
• After the players asked increasingly absurd questions, Walter threatened to throw them out unless they stayed quiet.
• Bit watched from the Warp, satisfied that his perceptual filter kept the players from noticing anything unusual.

Robert and the other players wondered whether they had to earn progress through service in the Astra Militarum as they rode to the front. Commissar Walter ordered them to scavenge weapons amid the battlefield dead, and Robert rejected a damaged lasgun before the fight began.

• Robert proposed that players might have to advance through real service and earn equipment instead of following game menus.
• Bit considered how immortal players might one day become a force that could appear anywhere in the galaxy, then returned his attention to the transport.
• Commissar Walter forced the ten players off the transport and ordered them to find weapons among the corpses.
• A timed emergency mission appeared, requiring each player to find a functional weapon within fifteen minutes.
• Robert picked up a damaged lasgun, read its warning that it might explode, and put it back while Commissar Walter watched.

The Players fought off a Cultist assault on the Astra Militarum position, learning firsthand how deadly the battle on Pedetia was. After Gunslinger died when his Lasgun exploded and then resurrected, Walter ordered everyone to seal the tunnels and prepare for the next attack.

• Walter ordered the Players to take cover as the Cultists charged the position, and the defenders opened fire.
• Walter shot a fleeing conscript, while the Players settled into firing bursts at the advancing enemy.
• Robert noticed digging beneath the position, but Cultists burst through tunnels and attacked at close quarters.
• Robert nearly died when a bayoneted Cultist kept advancing, but a scarred veteran killed the enemy before it could reach him.
• Gunslinger overloaded his Lasgun at point-blank range and died in its explosion, while the Ogryn Player tore through Cultists and Walter killed the last attacker.
• Robert touched Gunslinger's charred corpse, triggering his resurrection; Gunslinger learned that death reset NPC relationships and cleared Faction Merit, and Walter ordered the Players to seal the tunnels.

After the battle, Robert advised the players to rest and eat, but their meal of meat stew turned out to contain scraps of Astra Militarum uniforms. The players realized the meat might be human and began retching.

• Commissar Walter took [Big Eagle Cop] toward the rear of the position.
• Robert reasoned that the players should follow trench warfare routines and rest and eat while the Cultists regrouped.
• An Astra Militarum veteran led the players to a field cauldron and told them it was time to eat.
• The players tasted the stew and found it salty, rough, and apparently normal.
• Robert found a piece of gray-green Astra Militarum uniform in his bowl, prompting the players to realize what the meat might be and vomit or dry-heave.

After the players complained about the game's brutal battlefield and considered quitting, Robert persuaded them that their downtime must conceal a scavenging quest. Bit, amused by their speculation, decided to reward them with a hint of valuable loot.

• The exhausted players complained about the game, and several said they would stop playing after the closed beta.
• Robert said he would keep playing to experience the full story, and a fan recognized him as [Dr. Ruan] and asked to be his friend.
• Robert realized the players' idle time seemed unlike the developers' usual approach and argued that it was likely a lead-in to more content.
• Robert recalled Commissar Walter's mention of finding a master-crafted Bolter and convinced the players that better loot remained in the corpse pile.
• Bit listened to the players' deductions and decided to give them a reward by stirring information and energy.

Robert and the Players honored fallen Astra Militarum and Planetary Defense Force soldiers before discovering a Fine-quality Chainsword that hinted at a future fight with the Dark Eldar. Commissar Walter sent them back to their posts, while the veterans noticed that the recruits had lifted his spirits.

• Robert dragged a recognizable Astra Militarum soldier's corpse to a shaded corner, explaining that the dead deserved respect, and the Players joined him in laying out the fallen soldiers.
• While moving a corpse, Robert found Sergeant Major Maxim's Fine-quality Chainsword, [Xenos Must Die], which dealt extra damage to non-human creatures.
• The Players speculated about the weapon's history, and Robert suggested they might face the Dark Eldar shown in the official trailer.
• Commissar Walter returned with the armored Ogryn Big Eagle Cop, heard that the Players were moving the bodies, and praised them before ordering them back to their positions to rest.
• Walter flushed when a Player called him tsundere and chased the recruits back to their posts; two Astra Militarum veterans remarked that the recruits had made him seem more spirited.

The Players repelled a close-range Cultist assault, with Robert discovering that his Chainsword’s Machine Spirit guided his fighting. After the battle, they realized the Astra Militarum’s artillery had gone silent and feared the force was running out of ammunition, but Robert reminded them that more Players could join later.

• Commissar Walter held fire until the Cultists came close, then ordered the Players to shoot.
• Big Eagle Cop crushed Cultists with his metal rod while Robert’s Chainsword, [Xenos Must Die], guided his attacks through its Machine Spirit.
• Robert and Big Eagle Cop helped stabilize the battle line, and the Players killed the remaining Cultists.
• A Player noticed that no friendly artillery had fired, and Robert guessed the force had run out of ammunition.
• Robert and Ruthless Assassin encouraged the Players by pointing to their potential reinforcements and confidence in battle.

After the closed beta ended, the Players met Bit, the game’s designer, in the Warp and asked about the game’s systems. Bit explained how death, respawning, skills, and logging off worked, leaving the Players aware that their choices could reshape the world and their sleeping characters remained vulnerable.

• The Players were pulled from their Astra Militarum bodies into the Warp, where Bit introduced itself and explained their Cognitive Filter.
• Robert argued that the filter should remain, and [Ruthless Assassin] asked Bit to add a Friend System, which Bit immediately enabled.
• Robert learned that a Player commander could restore a revived Player to their former post in a formally recognized Player unit.
• Bit explained that death did not change a Player’s race, while respawn points depended on the veil of reality and could be affected by the Players’ actions.
• Flying Eagle asked about missing skills and offline characters, and Bit promised a Skill Tree for the Second Closed Beta and said logged-off characters would sleep where they were.

Bit considered giving players simple AI behavior while they were offline, then realized that the concept of [player] might already have emerged from summoning them and chose to investigate it carefully. Robert returned to Earth after three days on Pedetia, struggled to adjust to his ordinary body, and prepared to make a video about his experiences.

• Robert asked Bit to give players AI characters that could keep them safe while they were offline.
• Bit reflected on the conceptual nature of [Xenos Must Die] and realized that summoning players might have created the concept of [player].
• Bit told the players he could not yet give their characters AI, leaving them disappointed about logging out safely.
• Robert's fans wondered why he had gone silent in their chat group after announcing that he had joined a Warhammer game's closed beta.
• Robert returned to his body through the Game Pod and found his real-world strength and stamina feeble compared with his soldier's physique on Pedetia.
• Robert hurried to his computer to record his experiences and plan a video he expected to become popular.

Dr. Ruan uploaded a video recounting his closed-beta experience with Warhammer 40K, praising its immersive realism, player freedom, and developers’ openness. His review ignited online debate about the game’s appeal to hardcore players and its prospects.

• Dr. Ruan returned to his video channel and explained that he had spent the day playing Warhammer 40K.
• Dr. Ruan described the game’s punishing realism, including the Underhive’s toxic air, rough transport, scarce equipment, and unsafe logout conditions.
• Dr. Ruan said players earned NPC soldiers’ respect by recovering fallen Astra Militarum bodies and explained that a player officer could restore another player’s merit after death.
• Dr. Ruan praised the developers for discussing the beta with players and confirming that avoiding the death penalty through a superior officer was a legitimate approach.
• Dr. Ruan called the closed beta a success and said the game currently targeted hardcore players with time to invest.
• Viewers debated the game’s difficulty, audience, and business prospects as Dr. Ruan’s video spread across the internet.

After the second closed beta drew more than a million applicants, Robert returned to the battlefield with the original nine players and found the trench deserted. Commissar Walter arrived with ninety new recruits, placed them under Robert’s command, and ordered them to hold the position for at least one day.

• Bit opened applications for the second closed beta, randomly selected ninety new players, and sent them invitations.
• Robert and the other nine veteran players woke in an empty trench without the Astra Militarum soldiers or Commissar Walter.
• The veteran players joked about returning despite having said they were done playing, until approaching engines put them on alert.
• Commissar Walter arrived with the ninety new recruits and ordered Robert to lead them in defending the position for at least one day.
• Robert accepted command, and Walter departed with the convoy, leaving a hundred players at the trench.

Robert discovered that a main quest and his acting company commander authority could help him lead the players in defending their position for a day. The newcomers recognized that failure would likely mean death and lost merit, then looked to Robert for orders.

• A main quest tasked Robert with leading the other 99 players in holding their position for 24 hours, and the players received the same quest.
• Robert reviewed his updated panel and learned that faction merit could be inherited after death if a commanding officer approved it.
• Robert realized his commander position gave him authority over whether players could pass on their merit.
• A player pointed out that the quest's lack of a failure penalty did not matter if the defenders were wiped out and lost their merit.
• The newcomers urged Robert to lead them, and Robert noted that the insightful player was named [Joker].

Robert organized the Players into ten squads and established a defensive line, then discovered that his Company Commander privileges allowed him to exchange merit for a Venom Blade super-heavy tank. Bit, the God of Information, planned to create the tank if the Players earned enough merit.

• Robert appointed nine veteran Players as Temporary Squad Leaders and divided the company into ten squads.
• After a Player questioned Big Eagle Cop's leadership, Robert reorganized the Seventh Squad as an all-melee reserve and assault force under Big Eagle Cop.
• Robert assigned the other squads to positions in the trenches and arranged crossfire and priority defense zones.
• Robert wondered why a new recruit had been made Company Commander and feared the regiment's battle situation had collapsed or the position was expendable.
• Robert opened the Faction Store and found that he could exchange merit for a Venom Blade super-heavy tank, astonishing the Players with its high cost.
• Bit heard Robert wonder where the tank would come from and planned to create it himself if the Players exchanged for it.

Robert struggled to command the Players as Cultists launched a surprise attack on their position. The Players spotted Chaos Sorcerer Elias Holmes, but both sides remained disorganized as the battle began.

• A laser shot alerted Robert and the Players to an attack, but the trench’s poor sightlines and lack of communication left them unsure what was happening.
• Two Players reported that ragged Cultists were approaching, but they could provide no useful details about the enemy’s numbers or equipment.
• A Psyker Missile exploded beside Robert, and he discovered that Cultists had suddenly reached the first defensive line.
• Another Psyker Missile exposed Chaos Sorcerer Elias Holmes, who mocked the Astra Militarum while his Cultists praised him.
• The Players urged Robert to retreat so he could preserve their merit inheritance, while Bit observed that both armies were disorganized and that the Players could resurrect after mistakes.

Players turned the Cultists’ assault into a chaotic slaughter, and Elias’s pride drove him to order a reckless charge. Robert then abandoned the trenches and sent the Players to attack freely, leaving Elias’s forces collapsing under attacks from every direction.

• Players used respawns, trenches, and individual fighting to hold back the Cultists despite their poor coordination.
• Elias Holmes grew enraged as his troops suffered heavy losses and ignored the scar-faced Cultist Warlord’s advice to regroup and flank the defenders.
• Elias ordered every Cultist to charge at any cost, causing the troops to surge forward in a disorganized mass.
• The Players recognized the Cultists had lost formation, and Robert ordered them to abandon the defensive line and attack freely.
• The Players scattered across the battlefield and harassed the Cultists from cover, while Big Eagle Cop charged through their densest ranks.
• Elias watched helplessly as his forces were ground down by the Players’ attacks from every direction.

The Cultists broke under the Players’ relentless defense, but Chaos Sorcerer Elias Holmes stopped their retreat by ordering his Warlords to fire a Heavy Stubber into the fleeing ranks. Terrified of being shot by their own side, the survivors charged the Player positions again.

• The Cultists lost faith and fled after enduring repeated, costly assaults against the Player positions.
• Elias Holmes realized he alone was responsible for the failed attacks and feared punishment from his superiors.
• Elias ordered the Warlords to aim the Heavy Stubber at the fleeing Cultists and kill any deserters.
• The Warlords fired into their own troops, cutting down many Cultists and blocking their retreat.
• The surviving Cultists turned back toward the Player positions, and Elias watched with satisfaction as his order halted the rout.

Elias leapt into the players’ position and slaughtered them with psychic powers, but their excitement over the chance to earn merits turned his attack into a coordinated assault. As his shield held against their fire, [Ruthless Assassin] reached his blind spot with explosives and charged at him.

• The Cultists discovered they could avoid most gunfire by lying flat, bringing their advance to a halt and enraging Elias.
• Elias jumped into the players’ position and killed more than a dozen of them with psychic lightning and missiles.
• The players regrouped and opened fire on Elias after someone shouted that killing the boss would earn merits and a Venom Blade.
• Elias’s psychic shield blocked the players’ attacks, while the Cultists ducked down and refused to follow his charge.
• [Ruthless Assassin] approached behind Elias with grenades and anti-vehicle bombs, then pulled the fuses and pounced on him.